


The Big (Blue) Apple

by slightlylessmediocre



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan, The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Mortal AU, Roommates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-24
Updated: 2014-08-05
Packaged: 2018-02-10 07:29:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,232
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2016312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slightlylessmediocre/pseuds/slightlylessmediocre
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Annabeth Chase and Percy Jackson, new to New York City, are set up to be roommates. Things don't go as smoothly as they had hoped.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Annabeth

“I don’t know, Grover.” Annabeth sighed into the phone. She leaned back on the uncomfortable airport chair and did a scan around the room- drab gray walls, few windows, gray tiles intermixed with gray carpeting. Airports could be pretty, but they so rarely were. If Annabeth designed this place, it would be huge, with high ceilings, much more sitting room, big windows everywhere to watch planes land and take off- and there would be color. Airports should be happy places, to help calm those with the fear of flying (like one of Annabeth’s best friends, Thalia), to excite those going on vacation and to make people going on business trips slightly happier. Despite the fact that Annabeth had been in four airports so far this weekend, she had yet to find one that she liked.  


“Come on, Annabeth, he’s a good guy. Well, he’s a nice guy, anyway even if he’s had some…. trouble with the law. But nothing like, evil or harmful.” Grover assured her quickly.  


Annabeth rolled her eyes. “I’m not worried about _that._ I can handle myself. It’s just… moving into an apartment in New York City with a complete stranger seems so…” Annabeth struggled to find a word. _Dangerous_ and _scary_ both popped into her head, but neither of those quite fit. She had done things far more dangerous and way scarier than sharing an apartment with someone getting out of a reformatory.  


“Annabeth, you’re looking for someone to share an apartment with who you’ll always be smarter than, right?” Grover asked, breaking the silence.  


If it hadn’t been so late at night and if she wasn’t so exhausted, Annabeth might have blushed. That was what she told Grover originally, when she called him to say she was moving to New York City and asked about roommates. Her original idea was to move in with Grover, who had a great (though expensive) apartment overlooking Central Park. That’s when Grover confessed he had sold that apartment a few months ago, and was going around the continent with various environmental groups trying to make a difference. He felt so bad about ruining her plans that he promised to find her a roommate, even though he really didn’t have to. Annabeth was highly grateful for his help. When Grover asked her what she was looking for, her response was something along the lines of, “Someone I will always be smarter than. I’m sick of living under people who think they’re so much better than me, people who think they have all the answers. I want to be that person for once.”  


Annabeth knew Grover knew she was talking about her mom, Ms. Always-Right-Always-Smarter-Always-Better, but Grover was too nice to comment on it. He assured Annabeth that he would find her the ‘dumbest person looking for a roommate in New York City he could find’, and they both had a good laugh.  


Only now, according to what Grover had described he seemed to have actually done just that.  


“Right.” Annabeth finally answered.  


“Well that wasn’t hard because you’re smarter than most people but you will without a doubt always be smarter than Percy. He’s a nice guy, he’ll pay the rent and he probably won’t even be home to bother you that much.” Grover replied.  


“That will be nice.” She mused.  


“Plus A) you two together is the only way you can afford this apartment and B) you have both already signed the lease. No backing out now. At least, not for another six months. Call it a trial period.”  


Annabeth sort of laughed. “Alright, alright. Fine.” Of course, she wasn’t backing out in the first place, but she was starting to feel hesitant and that’s why she called Grover. Grover had always looked out for her, trying to make sure whatever she was doing was in her best interest. It was like having another parent _(as if she needed anymore of those)_ only she actually liked Grover, and appreciated his advice.  


“Well, good luck Annabeth. Hey, I’ll talk to you later, all right? I got to go, I’m not actually really supposed to be using my cell phone out here.” Grover told her.  


“Oh, sorry.” Annabeth felt guilty that he felt obligated to pick up the phone. He had asked her not to call unless it was an emergency, and this hadn’t really counted.  


“It’s not problem, Chase. Just be careful, okay? I’ll call you when I can.”  


“Alright, thanks Underwood.” Annabeth smiled. They said their final goodbyes and hung up.  


Annabeth readjusted her hoodie, trying to make it into a more comfortable pillow and settled down in attempt to get some sleep before her next, and final flight.


	2. Percy

Percy didn’t know why he moved to New York City, of all places. It was nowhere near the beach, too close to Chiron’s Home for Boys, his old reformatory, and now that Grover didn’t live there he knew exactly zero people in the city.  
The main reason was probably his mom, who lived just outside of the city. Percy didn’t want to live in the same neighborhood, but he wanted to be close by. While Sally assured Percy that he could go wherever he wanted and he shouldn’t worry about her, especially since she had Paul now, Percy still worried. Paul seemed like a nice guy, but things could change and if they ever did Percy didn’t want to have to travel too far to kick Paul’s ass if he ever hurt Sally.  


Plus New York City was a cultural center, melting pot of America, blah blah blah. Surely there would be _something_ to keep him entertained. Preferably something legal (he had heard stories about the NYPD- they definitely were not to be messed with) but then again little crimes probably went unnoticed, since the city was so big. Percy was going to try the legal stuff first though.  


Originally the idea was to move into Grover’s sweet apartment downtown and then they could tear it up all over the city. Grover probably knew tons of legal things that were still fun, and all the hottest clubs and bars too. Of course when he called Grover to propose the most brilliant of all brilliant plans, Grover told him he had sold the apartment and was living in a tent somewhere. Not exactly Percy’s idea of fun, although he knew it was Grover’s so at least someone was happy.  


“If you’re really set on the city, though, I could find you a roommate. I might know someone already, actually.” Grover had told him.  


“As long as they fit my one criteria.”  


“What’s that?”  


“Well since you’re off the table, and I don’t know anyone else, I need my roommate to be hot.” Percy had grinned, even though Grover couldn’t see it.  


“Hot?” Grover had echoed.  


“Yes!” Percy had insisted. “I’ve been living in Chiron’s Home for Boys for the past two years. Do you know how may hot girls, or any girls I’ve seen in that time? Practically none!”  


Grover had been silent for a moment before responding. “Fair enough. Believe it or not, the girl I was talking about does match your criteria. And I’m pretty sure you match hers.”  


Grover set up the entire thing. Percy hadn’t even talked to this girl yet, which made him slightly suspicious. Grover was almost too determined to not let them talk to each other, but he wouldn’t say why.  


Percy was set to meet Annabeth today for lunch, at a burger place in the NBC building. It sounded fancy, and expensive which didn’t bode well for Percy.  


For the last few days, Percy had been staying in his mom’s spare room but he was kind of relieved to finally be leaving. Despite what his mom had said about not needed him, she was kind of fussing over him. Percy was locked in his room, anxiously waiting on the email Grover promised to send him with a picture of his new roommate, so he knew who he was looking for. Unfortunately, Grover hadn’t given him an exact time because he wasn’t sure when he would get done with his daily cleaning of the local hiking trail activity. Percy was stuck hoping it would be before he had to leave the house, constantly refreshing the page.  


Percy was about to explode, as he had been sitting still for half an hour already, a long time for someone with ADHD. He clicked the refresh button one more time and voilà, like magic a new email appeared from Grover. Percy opened it eager to see the face of his new hot roommate.  


_Hey, Percy!_  


_Sorry this took so long, trail was a little messier than we anticipated. I hope I’m not too late to catch you before you have to catch the subway. Anway, here’s your new roommate- Annabeth Chase. Remember she can be a little stuffy when you first get to know her, but she’s really a great person. I hope this works out for both of you._  


_Talk to you later, man! Let me know how lunch goes!_  


_Grover_

  


Percy clicked on the picture, and he was definitely not disappointed. Smiling back at him was a gorgeous girl, with curly blonde hair and stormy grey eyes. Her smile was wide and genuine, lighting up her eyes. She had a cute nose that turned up slightly at the end. Not to mention her body- tall and thin with perfect curves, and hints of muscle on her arms and legs. She could definitely hold her own in a fight. Percy didn’t even realize he liked that sort of thing in a girl, until he saw it on her.  


_This was going to be a great year for Percy Jackson,_ he thought, grinning at the picture of his new roommate.


	3. Annabeth

Annabeth had arrived early to the restaurant, of course. Mostly, it was on purpose- she got to Rockefeller Center two hours early so she could admire the buildings, even sketch a few. She actually spent more time outside than she meant to and when she did make it inside she got lost for a few minutes before she found the restaurant. Despite all this, she was still a few minutes early, but Annabeth didn’t mind so much. It was a surprisingly nice restaurant, design wise anyway. The downstairs, where the entrance was and where she was waiting, was all tile and dim lights. The bar was down here, and the lighting and mood matched. But she could see up a spiral staircase, the upstairs had huge floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out onto the streets of New York. A more appropriate place, perhaps, for families and lunch dates- but Annabeth sat on the first floor so she could notice Percy when he came in.  


Annabeth had gotten Grover’s email with the picture of Percy while she was wandering around Rockefeller Square, and she was surprised with the picture. She wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but it definitely wasn’t that. Percy was a tall, toned guy with sea-green eyes and a mess of black hair. His smile was more of a smirk, one that told Annabeth that this boy _liked_ getting into trouble, that his time in the reformatory wasn’t an accident. He certainly wasn’t her usual type, but he was undeniably good looking. Annabeth wasn’t sure if that was a good thing- did she want to live with a guy she was attracted to?  


Annabeth took a sip of her soda and continued to contemplate this. Even if it wasn’t a good thing, she was stuck with Percy, so hopefully it worked out regardless.  


Annabeth glanced at her watch. While she had been sitting and admiring the building, Percy had yet to show up. He was now almost fifteen minutes late. She sighed and made a mental note to set the time of any further meetings with Percy at least fifteen minutes before she actually wanted to start.  


Just as she was about to call the number Grover had finally given her, the door burst open. Percy Jackson stood in the doorway, grinning like just showing up was the world’s greatest accomplishment. He strode over to the hostess, grinning at her. Annabeth watched as he made a comment, and the hostess giggled in response. _Was he flirting with the hostess?_ The feeling Annabeth was having wasn’t even jealousy- it was annoyance. _He shows up late, striding around like he’s a gift to mankind, flirts with the staff and doesn’t even notice me sitting over here?_  


Annabeth’s waiter appeared behind the hostess, looking a little flustered. He asked Percy a question, to which Percy looked confused but he nodded. The waiter gestured over to Annabeth, sitting alone and watching everything unfold.  


Percy’s face lit up with recognition before he turned back to the waiter, beaming, and probably said his thank you. He walked confidently toward Annabeth, his shoulders back and smiling at her in a way that made her dislike for him flare up again. She took a deep breath. _Calm down, Annabeth. He’s probably not like this all the time and you can’t go on hating him before he’s even spoken. You have to live with this guy for the next six months. At least try to start things off on a good foot._  


Annabeth gave Percy a small smile and, either in response or purely coincidental, Percy tripped. He didn’t fall over, but he almost did, catching himself at the last second. The chair he tripped on, however, was less fortunate. It clattered to the ground, causing almost everyone on the restaurant to turn and stare at Percy as he picked himself up.  


Annabeth was surprised to see that he was actually a little red in the face as he carefully picked up the chair. Percy kept his head down until he ducked into the booth. Annabeth fought to keep a straight face, and not make a comment. _Civil,_ she reminded herself. _Keep it civil. Start off on a good foot._  


“Annabeth?” Percy asked, although after he sat down so he clearly knew who she was.  


“Percy.” She replied, in way of greeting.  


“Nice to meet you.” He extended his hand, which Annabeth shook after only staring at it for slightly longer than she probably should have. His hand was strong and rough.  


“You too.” She smiled again as she dropped his hand.  


There was a moment of awkward silence as they stared at each other. Then, at the same time they spoke:  


“Have you ordered yet?” Percy asked.  


“You’re late.” Annabeth noted.  


They both blushed slightly. “No, I haven’t ordered.” Annabeth said quickly.  


“Cool. Uh, yeah sorry I’m late. I got… caught up.” He said, but didn’t offer any further explanation, which seemed kind of rude to Annabeth.  


“It’s fine.” She said, even though it wasn’t. “I got here early anyway to look at the building.”  


“Oh yeah.” Percy nodded, his eyes scanning the room around them. “It’s very, ah… big.” He managed.  


Annabeth struggled not to roll her eyes. “Yes well, I have my BA in architecture.” She explained.  


“Oh, that’s cool.” Percy said, not even glancing up from his menu.  


Annabeth narrowed her eyes. “What about you, Percy?” She asked, changing directions.  


“Hmm?” Percy asked.  


She smiled, sweet as poisoned candy. “What are you studying?”  


Percy looked up finally. “Studying?” He repeated slowly.  


“Yes. College? Post high school- er, I’m sorry. Post reformatory, rather.” Annabeth corrected, still smiling at him.  


Percy frowned at Annabeth, his head tilting to the side slightly. There was a crease between his eyebrows for a moment before his eyes widened. “Post reformatory.” He repeated, clearly just realizing that he was being insulted. Clearly, Percy being smarter than her would never be a problem.  


“I mean surely you have a plan.” Annabeth continued. “Why New York City? What are you planning?”  


“Well what are you planning?” Percy demanded, glaring at her.  


“I applied for several internships at architectural firms around the city before I moved here, and I have a few interviews lined up for next week. Once I choose one, I’ll work there while I finish my degree to become a full-fledged architect, probably at Columbia or NYU. Then I’m going to open up my own firm downtown, and build beautiful buildings all around the city, and all around the world.” Annabeth raised her eyebrows innocently.  


Percy looked irritated. “Wow. How… thorough of you.” He noted.  


“But enough about me. What about you, Percy? I want to know all about my new roommate’s plans.”  


“I don’t have any plans.” Percy said after a moment. He leaned back in the booth chair, suddenly relaxed.  


“None?” Annabeth repeated.  


“Nope.” He looked over, and grinned. “Oh look, here comes our waiter. Hi, there.” Percy greeted.  


“Hello!” The waiter, Steve, smiled. “Have you decided what you want?”  


Annabeth opened her mouth to answer, but Percy spoke over her. “Well, Annabeth here has probably had this meal planned out for years. As for me, I’ve just decided. I’ll have the burger.” Percy handed the menu back to a confused-looking Steve.  


“And you, miss?” Steve asked, turning to Annabeth.  


“The salmon Panini, please.” Annabeth handed Steve the menu, but she was still glaring at Percy.  


Percy watched Steve walk away before turning back and smiling at Annabeth innocently. “I’m not so much of a plan guy myself. I just go where the wind takes me.”  


“How do you plan on paying for anything here?” Annabeth demanded. She didn’t want to have to support this idiot just because he didn’t think things through.  


“My dad is kind of… loaded.” Percy shrugged, but the topic did seem to make him slightly uncomfortable.  


“So you’re dad is supporting you?” She snorted.  


Percy bristled at the comment. “Well who’s supporting you while you’re attending expensive colleges and working as an intern? Or did I miss something and interns suddenly valued and overpaid members of society?”  


Annabeth frowned at the table in front of her. She wasn’t expecting Percy to think her plans through so much. “My mom is going to lend me-“  


“So when I get money from my parents it’s a bad thing, but when you do it it’s A-Okay?” Percy demanded.  


“I’m going to pay her back!” Annabeth sputtered.  


“What makes you think I’m not going to pay my dad back?” Percy snapped.  


“You’re insufferable!” Annabeth almost yelled, remembering at the last second to use her inside voice.  


Percy laughed at that, which pissed Annabeth off even more. “Well too bad you just signed a lease with me. Maybe you should find someone to sub-lease.”  


“Maybe I will!” Annabeth growled.  


“Fine!” Percy barked.  


“Fine!” Annabeth snapped back. Their heads snapped away from each other- Annabeth staring in one direction, Percy staring in the opposite direction.  


_So much for starting off on a good foot._


	4. Annabeth

After an irritating lunch, Annabeth was glad to be alone, surrounded by beautiful buildings… Well, and hundreds of tourists. But that wasn’t so much of a problem. The sun was shining, the day was warm but not hot, and there were tourists but not too many.  


Wandering around Rockefeller Square again, she ended up in the Lego store somehow. It was packed, of course, but it didn’t bother Annabeth. She loved Legos when she was younger to build crazy houses and buildings for her toys. Even now, despite that she was technically an adult, she still loved the store. Huge windows, white floors and walls that made the color of the Legos pop and best of all there was a huge Lego dragon winding all around the store. It was amazing.  


Annabeth wandered over to one of the Free-For-All stations where you could build anything with thousands of sample Legos that surrounded it. She wasn’t quite sure what she was building, but she started with a grim determination.  


She wasn’t sure how long she had been working- could have been five minutes, could have been forty- when someone came up behind her.  


“Can I help you?” A voice asked.  


Annabeth practically jumped out of her skin, spinning around slightly irritated. The irritation vanished immediately as she took in the guy standing behind her. He was tall and muscular, but not grossly so, with golden blonde hair and bright blue eyes. He had tan skin and a pearly white smile that made Annabeth want to melt right there. He also had a scar, running from the bottom of his eye down to his chin, but Annabeth thought that actually made him more attractive. The mischievous look deep in his eyes made it understandable as to why he was working in a toy store.  


“Oh, I was just…” Annabeth gestured to the half-finished skyscraper.  


“Are you planning on buying anything?” He asked, raising an eyebrow.  


“Oh.” Annabeth blushed. “Ah, well not really…”  


He laughed. “It’s fine, though just for the record,” He looked around before leaning in and lowering his voice. “If someone asks if you’re planning on buying something, I would suggest saying ‘Yes’ or ‘I’m just looking’.”  


“Right. Thanks.” Annabeth’s blush deepened.  


He straightened out, chuckling. “No problem- ah, what did you say your name was?”  


“Annabeth.”  


“Annabeth, nice to meet you.” He extended his hand. “I’m Luke.”  


Annabeth shook his hand- it was big, strong and warm. “Hi.” She said.  


“Hi.” Luke smiled, and they held hands for a second too long. Annabeth was the first one to let go. “So this skyscraper is pretty amazing. You’re not my boss, are you?”  


“What?” Annabeth raised her eyebrow.  


“Like _Undercover Boss?_ The TV show? No?” Luke asked.  


“No.”  


He laughed. “I just assumed because you’re a lot more talented at Legos than… everyone I’ve ever met.”  


“Thank you?” She said, but it was sort of a question. “I used to play with Legos when I was younger because I wanted to be an architect.”  


“Do you still want to be an architect?” He asked. Luke leaned over and inspected Annabeth’s Lego creation closer.  


“Ah, yeah actually. I have my BA in architecture. I’m hoping to finish my degree once I get a job.”  


“That’s _amazing,_ Annabeth.” Luke said, and he sounded sincere. “You really know what you want to do with your life.”  


“Do you?” Annabeth asked, kind of surprised. Luke didn’t look old, per say, but he did look a few years older than her- maybe 24 or 25. Not that 24/5 year olds need a life plan already, but he just looked so determined and sure of himself.  


“Well, I’m not planning on working in the Lego store my whole life. I volunteer helping inner city kids in my spare time, and I have a second job at the NYPD. I’m just a desk jockey, but it’s fun.” Luke smiled. He picked up a brick and snapped it onto the skyscraper in the correct place. Annabeth felt warm inside. “I’m not sure it’s what I want to do in the long run though. I’m just kind of dabbling in everything while I’m young.”  


“I think that’s great, Luke. I wish I could be more spontaneous.” Annabeth added a few more Legos as she spoke.  


“I admire your planning, Annabeth. I-“  


“CASTELLAN!” A voice yelled over the tourists. Luke jumped and spun around. “WE NEED YOU ON THE CASH REGISTER!”  


“ON IT, BOSS!” Luke yelled back. He turned around to face Annabeth and scratched the back of his neck. “I’m needed over at the register.” He gestured.  


“Oh, that’s fine.” Annabeth said, but it wasn’t. She didn’t want Luke to leave. She sighed quietly.  


Luke smiled down at her gently. “You don’t happen to have a card, do you?”  


“A card?” Annabeth repeated.  


“Yeah. With like, your name and number?” Luke asked.  


It took Annabeth a minute to realize that he was asking for her number. “Oh! Yeah, hang on!” She dug out her wallet and handed Luke one of her cards that she always carried.  


He smiled at the card. “Annabeth Chase.” He put the card in his back pocket. “I’ll call you soon, okay?”  


“Promise?” Annabeth asked, looking up at him through her eyelashes. She hadn’t attempted flirting in a while- she hoped it wasn’t obvious how rusty she was.  


Luke grinned at her. “Promise.” He said, taking Annabeth’s hand. He kissed it before disappearing into the crowd.


	5. Percy

“Grover, she’s ridiculous! I know I said my only criteria was being hot, but I didn’t think I should have to specify that my future roommate not be _completely insane!”_ Percy yelled into the phone.  


“Slow down, Percy! What happened with you two?” Grover demanded.  


“Annabeth is crazy! She was ragging on me worse than all three of my parents combined! She thinks she’s _so great_ because she had a degree in buildings! She was asking about my plans for the future!” Percy said as if that was the ultimate insult.  


Grover sighed. “Where are you now, Percy?”  


“Home. Our home.” Percy said _our_ with irritation. “On the balcony.” Percy had started moving into his new apartment after lunch, with the few things he had in his backpack.  


The good thing was that the apartment was huge, and gorgeous. Percy wasn’t sure how he and Annabeth were managing to afford this place, but he was glad they could. Huge windows, open spaces, fluffy carpets, pre-furnished, two rooms each with their own private bathrooms- you didn’t have to be an architect to appreciate the awesomeness of this apartment. Plus, Percy appreciated the view, overlooking one of the rivers that surrounded the city, though he wasn’t sure which one it was.  


“Well, where’s Annabeth?” Grover asked, voice full of confusion.  


“After lunch we kind of split up.” Percy replied. He was already trying to block that lunch from his brain. It was possibly one of the most awkward and irritating encounters of his life. “She said she was going to get her stuff from the hotel she stayed in last night but that was several hours ago.”  


_“Hours?”_ Grover practically shouted. “It’s been _hours_ and you haven’t heard from her? Have you tried calling her?” His voice was clearly panicked.  


“Grover, calm down, I’m sure she’s fine. She’s probably just avoiding coming home.” Percy told him, but Grover’s panic was making him nervous. What if something happened to his new roommate?  


“Percy, no offense but you clearly don’t know anything about New York! It’s a big city, and Annabeth is a not exactly tough looking, pretty girl wandering around a city she doesn’t know very well, at night, _alone!_ Percy you need to hang up the phone with me right now and _call her!”_ Grover said frantically.  


Percy sighed into the phone, but he stood up and went to go put on shoes. He wasn’t going to sit around and do nothing while his roommate was possibly in danger. He’d have to go looking for her. 

“I’ll call her right now.” He told Grover.  


“Good! And I’ll call her too- or what, then neither of us will be able tor each her. I can text her or…” Grover’s voice faded into the background when Percy heard the lock on the front door click. 

Annabeth, carrying a backpack on her shoulders and several suitcases trailing behind her walked into the apartment.  


For a moment, she didn’t notice Percy. She took her key out of the door and put it back into her pocket before hauling in all of her stuff. She looked a little tired, but there was an unmistakable light in her eyes that hadn’t been there early. Percy wondered what happened to her after they split.  


Then she looked up, and her eyes met Percy’s. Irritation flashed across her face, but it disappeared so quickly Percy might have imagined it. “Percy.” She greeted.  


“Annabeth.” He replied.  


“Annabeth? What about Annabeth?” Grover demanded, which is when Percy realized he was still holding a phone to his ear.  


“She just got home.” He told Grover. “She’s fine.”  


“Oh thank the gods.” Grover sighed with relief. “Look, I have to go but just… try to get along, alright?”  


“Talk to you later, man.” Percy said in way of a response, and hung up before Grover could realize.  


Annabeth was studying him from where she stood, which was making Percy feel weirdly self-conscious. He was about to ask her if she had a problem when she spoke. “Going somewhere?” She asked.  


“Huh?” _Smooth, Percy. Wit as sharp as a spoon._ Annabeth looked pointedly at his shoes. “Oh, ah, right, yeah. That was Grover on the phone.” He held up his phone for proof.  


“I figured.” She said, walking into their kitchen.  


“He was worried that you weren’t home yet.” Percy finished.  


“Of course he was.” Annabeth rolled her eyes as she refilled her water bottle. “So he suggested you go looking for me?”  


_No._ “Yup. It was his idea.” _My idea._ “He was really concerned.” _So was I._ “You know, big city, young girl alone at night.”  


Annabeth narrowed her eyes at him. “I can handle myself.” She growled.  


“Oh, I don’t doubt it.” Percy held up his hands innocently. “But you know how Grover is.”  


She snorted. “Yeah. I guess so. But next time, don’t worry about me. I may be a ‘young girl’ in a ‘big city’, but I know this city pretty well already. I know what parts of town to avoid late at night.”  


“I’ll keep it in mind.” Percy replied, pulling off his shoes and throwing them towards his door. “What did you do after lunch?”  


“Why do you need to know?” Annabeth stiffened.  


_And just like that, she’s annoying again._ “Just trying to make conversation.” Percy frowned at her.  


“I walked around. Saw some more of the city. Built a skyscraper of my own in the Lego store.” Annabeth said.  


Percy looked up at her to make fun of her _(Good to know that architecture degree is working about for you)_ but he noticed the sparkle returned to her eye and she looked like she was trying, and failing to fight a smile. _What the hell is so exciting about the Lego store?_ “Really.” Percy finally said, more as a statement than a question.  


“Really.” Annabeth sighed, but it sounded like a happy sigh. “Well, I should start unpacking all this.” She gestured to her suitcases.  


“Do you need-“  


“Goodnight, Percy.” She cut him off, pulling her stuff into her room and closing the door quickly behind her.  


“Any help?” Percy finished to no one. He rolled his eyes at Annabeth’s door before slumping into his own room and trying to go to sleep.


	6. Annabeth

Annabeth was pleasantly awoken the next morning. It would have already been a great morning if she only had to deal with the fact that she had slept in until 1:30, or that her room was largely unpacked and extremely messy, or that she had yet to unpack any pillows so she fell asleep on top of a pile of clothes, leaving her with a sore neck. But on top of all that wonderfulness, she was pretty sure the smoke alarm was going off.  


Annabeth burst out of her room and gagged- the apartment reeked of smoke, and it was coming from the kitchen, as well as a bunch of loud cursing from her roommate.  


“What the hell did you do?” She yelled, running into the kitchen. She didn’t have time to worry about how she was still in her pajamas- a grey tank top with the words ‘Wise Girl’ written in curly blue letters and pants with little owls on them- though Percy stared at her with shock and possible amusement, rather than paying attention o the small fire that was burning on the stovetop.  


“WHAT DID YOU DO?” Annabeth repeated, louder and more frantically. She grabbed a paper plate from the counter and tried to wave away the smoke.  


Percy finally snapped out of his trance. “I don’t know! I was cooking breakfast and then it caught on fire and then I poured water on it and it got worse!”  


“Oh, you idiot!” She groaned. Annabeth ran back to her room, grabbed a towel and came back.  


“What are you doing?” Percy yelled as she threw the towel down on the pan. To his surprise, the fire stopped instead of catching onto the towel.  


“You can’t put out a grease fire with water, you have to smother it!” She yelled.  


“How was I supposed to know that?” He yelled back.  


“Because anyone over the age of 12 should know that, you useless doornail!” Annabeth snapped.  


“Useless doornail?” Percy repeated, clearly trying not to laugh.  


Annabeth glowered up at him. “You know what I mean. And why the hell are you cooking breakfast at 1:30 in the afternoon?” She demanded.  


“I just woke up.” Percy said, without a hint of shame.  


“You _just_ woke up.” She repeated, shaking her head. “Of course you did.”  


“What, like you didn’t just wake up?” Percy demanded. He grabbed another paper plate and helped Annabeth try to distill the smoke.  


“For all you know I could have been up for hours!” Annabeth snapped, which was true.  


“Then why would you still have your pajamas on?” Percy demanded.  


“Maybe I like hanging out in my pajamas!” Annabeth growled- but that wasn’t true. She hated lounging around in her pajamas. Once she was up, she was ready to start the day. But Percy didn’t know that.  


He frowned at her. “Whatever you say, _Wise Girl._ ”  


“Don’t call me that.” Annabeth warned.  


“You’re the one wearing it on a tee-shirt.” Percy countered, making a face at her.  


“I swear to god, Percy-“ She started.  


“Oh, Wise Girl going to threaten me now? That seems a little out of your range.” Percy taunted.  


“You don’t know me!” Annabeth yelled.  


“Don’t try to play a player, Annabeth.” Percy told her.  


“You’re ridiculous!” Annabeth dropped her plates and stormed off into her room.  


“Whatever you say, Wise Girl!” Percy managed to call after her just before her door slammed shut.

In order to get some sanity back into her life, Annabeth called her best friend since childhood- Thalia. She ranted about Percy for a good forty minutes, all the while listening to his attempts to get the smoke out of the apartment, and clean off the pan that had burned. It didn’t sound like it was going well, but Annabeth had already saved his dumb ass once today. She was determined to not leave her room until Percy went back in his.  


“Are you sure you don’t want me to come over there and knock some sense into him?” Thalia asked, but Annabeth knew she was just being nice. Thalia was a leader of the Artemis foundation, a group that travelled around the country helping young girls with self-esteem, and self-defense. Thalia and Annabeth had actually met at one of the seminars the foundation held, and Thalia was so changed she dedicated her life to help bring that change around the country. Taking sudden vacations wasn’t looked lightly upon, especially since Thalia was a leader.  


“It’s fine.” Annabeth sighed. “I was just looking for a sympathetic ear and some common sense.”  


“Well you know you can always find those in me.”  


“I know.” Annabeth smiled. “I appreciate this a lot, I’m sure you’re busy.”  


“Nah. We’re on the road today. We’re going from Arkansas to Minnesota, so I’ve got plenty of time.” The both laughed.  


“I wish I knew people in the city. That way I’d have a good excuse to get out of the apartment, and someone to talk to face to face. Not that this isn’t helpful.” Annabeth said quickly. “It’s just… I miss having friends.”  


“I’m sure you’ll make some when you start working.” Thalia told her.  


“I know. But my interviews aren’t even for another week! I was going to use that time to explore the city, but it’s always so much more fun with someone.” Annabeth frowned. Clearly, she hadn’t thought this through.  


“Hey! I can’t believe I _just_ thought of this, but you know who lives in the city?” Thalia asked excitedly.  


“Millions of people?” Annabeth guessed.  


“No! Well, yes, but my brother is one of those millions of people!”  


Annabeth raised her eyebrow. “You have a brother? How come I’ve never heard of him?”  


Thalia laughed. “I hadn’t heard of him either until recently. But he’s a really great guy, and he has this girlfriend, Piper, who is also really great. They’re both nice and funny and they have plenty of common sense. I’m sure they’d love to meet you.”  


Annabeth smiled. “That sounds great!”  


“Wonderful! His name is Jason Grace. I’ll call him and talk to him about it, but do you want his email address?” Thalia asked.  


“Sure.” Annabeth said. Thalia prattled off two addresses- one for Jason and one for Piper. Annabeth relayed them back to make sure they were right.  


“You got it. Yeah, let me call them and let them know. I’m sure they’ll be happy to meet up with you.” Annabeth could tell Thalia was excited. “I hope it works out.”  


“Well if he’s anything like you, than I’m sure it’ll go great.” Annabeth grinned. “I’m excited.”  


“Me too! I’ll call them now, and see what they say.”  


“Great. Thanks, Thalia. As usual, you’re the best.”  


“I kind of am.” Thalia agreed before she said her goodbyes and they hung up.

**Author's Note:**

> More to come soon!


End file.
